This puppy is so energetic and exciting!

He loyally chased down the tennis ball, which seems to be bigger than his mouth and despite dropping it a few times brought it back to me, sitting in the doorway of my room.

I threw it again and—

Clomp clomp clomp.

He chased it down again, and dropped it twice before dropping it into my lap.

"Good boy!" I smile, petting him as he looked at me.

THROW IT AGAIN HUMAN! Was clearly going thru his head.

Then he barked.

I should try to bounce it off the wall over the theater room.

I throw it, barely missing the wall and it went right into the pitch dark room. However, he still charged after it blindly, even jumping off the cushion we have by the door.

Then he barked again.

I'm taking that for 'I can't find it.'

"Ok, let's see where it went…" I say, getting up and turning on the light in the room.

It's not bright, but its enough for him to spot it and dart over and grab it with his mouth. He raced by me and dropped it near my bed, waiting for me to get back and throw it.

"Ok, longer throw then." I say to him.

Why am I talking to my dog?

Oh well, I don't care.

I make another throw, and he dashes to get it just as mom showed herself coming up the stairs. He jumped and made a higher pitched noise then continued on.

I busted out laughing, and mom did too.

"You scared him!" I breathed out as she held onto the rail for support.

He still gathered up the ball and dropped it at my feet before racing over to my mom for some attention.

She sat on the top step and petted him while still laughing. "Having fun?"

"Oh yeah. He loves fetch. Knew it right away too, which was cool. I didn't even mean to start, I just tossed a tennis ball off my bed and he went and got it."

Mom looked impressed. "Interesting. The ball looks about as big as he is."

"I know." I laughed. "He keeps dropping it but doesn't give up." I say, throwing it and causing him to dust my mom and chase it down, and even dropped it again before giving it to her.

She threw it back to me. The puppy attempted to chase it down but when I caught it he just looked confused. Then he stared at my mom and barked.

We both started laughing again.

"Hey!" I said, drawing his attention and then throwing the ball.

It went right into the dark theater room, with him in chase all the way.

"Hello? Anybody home?" A familiar voice called out.

"Up here!" Mom called out as I checked my phone.

4:30.

I heard steps and then—

"Hey Cat!" Mom said.

"Hi Mrs. Shapiro, Whatcha doing?" Cat asked.

"Talking to Robbie." She scooted out of the way and Cat poked her head out.

I waved. "Hey Cat."

"Why are you guys sitting down? Couldn't you just do that on the couch or—?"

Suddenly the puppy popped out of the theater with a leap off of the cushion and ran to me, but slipped on its side right before dropping the ball.

"Puppy! Aww!" She gushed, coming to me.

He turned around fast and ran towards Cat, sniffed her flip flop and barked as she quickly petted him and started gushing how cute he is.

"When'd you get him!"

"Today." Mom answered, as he tried licking Cat's hand, causing her to giggle.

"He's so energetic!" Cat laughed as he darted to me and I threw the ball, causing him to race to it.

"I know right." I smile.

"I love him. He's adorable." Mom added on, standing up.

"I know!"

"Anyway, I'm gonna get dinner cooking. Have fun you two." Mom smiled at us then headed downstairs as he dropped the ball at my feet.

"Does he have a name? Is it a boy or girl?" Cat asked as I threw it again and Cat came to sit with me.

"Boy, and no." I said, getting the ball again.

Throw and off he goes again.

"Can I throw?" Cat asked.

"Sure." I said as he dashed back to us.

I handed the ball to her and she threw it. Her form was bad but it worked as he dashed to get it again.

What surprised me was that he didn't drop it at my feet. Cat and I's knees are right next to each other and he dropped it onto our knees, which rolled to her.

"Aww. Thanks." Cat smiled and threw it again.

"Good day?" I asked her.

"Eh, it was ok." She shrugged, quickly hugging me before he dropped the tennis ball again.

She handed it to me. "How about you?"

"Not great until mom surprised me with this ball of energy." I smiled.

"Why? What happened?"

"Oh, the theater I work at fired me. Don't really know why." I sighed.

"I'm sorry Robbie." She said as I threw it and got it to bounce off the awning.

He was in full sprint mode, then when it rebounded he moved his feet so fast he fell down and scrambled to it.

Then he gave it to Cat, who threw it gently.

"That was mean Robbie." She said with a smile.

"I loved it, did you see his reaction?"

"That was funny." She admitted as he gave Cat the ball again.

"I'm gonna try to hit the wall." She said.

She barely missed, but it did go into the theater. He still recklessly darted in and hopped onto and off the cushion before disappearing.

Cat got to her feet to get it, but I grabbed her wrist.

"Wait. And watch, he'll get it." I told her, and a moment later he came dashing back before dropping it and bringing it to us.

"Wow. Nice job!" She said, rubbing his head as he dropped the ball at her feet again.

She handed it to me and I threw it, bouncing it off again. Same result as last time too, which made us both laugh.

"You are mean." She said, as he dropped the ball again at her feet.

"Am not. And he's my dog. I can be a little mean to him, as long as it won't hurt him."

She humphed and threw it again.

He gave the ball to her again.

"He likes me more." She stated with a smile as she rubbed his ears before throwing it again.

"Does not." I reply back.

Ball back to Cat.

"Yeah he does! He's giving me the ball every time!" Cat smiled, throwing it way to the right which made it come off at a funny angle and go down the stairs.

He was undeterred, and down the stairs he goes!

"That doesn't mean he likes you more."

Suddenly the ball came flying upstairs, clearly thrown by mom.

"He loves me more! I'm his momma!" She yelled up the stairs

He came racing after the ball and deposited it with Cat as we both were laughing.

"C'mon, we need to chat before we eat. I can take you to work if you want." I mentioned, standing up.

Cat got to her feet and said "Ok ,that'd be great. C'mon Cosmos." She said.

Cosmos?

The puppy still came and followed her in. I gestured for her to sit on my bed and she did. Puppy followed her and sat at her feet.

She smirked at I pulled my desk chair around. "Told you."

"Means nothing." I waved her off.

Then we both were quiet.

"So…" Cat said, looking at her feet.

I opened my mouth, causing her to close hers.

Not what I meant.

"I really don't know how to start this." I admitted.

"Ok, I'll try. Thank you for getting me all those times I got messed up."

"No problem Cat, it really wasn't anything."

"Yeah it was! She vehemently replied, causing the puppy to jump. "I could have gotten messed up. Some guy could have actually taken advantage of me. But you just took me to my apartment. Thank you."

"Cat, it really was nothing."

"If it was nothing, why didn't you tell me? She asked right back.

…

"Because, after Trent beat me up, I didn't want you to tell him because he would have come after me."

"Speaking of that too!" She raised her voice, causing the puppy to run to me. "Why didn't you tell me that regardless! I would have done something about it!"

"Cat! He probably wouldn't have listened!" I said, picking him up and petting him. He put his face near my chest.

He seems scared.

"It would have been worth a try!"

"And what if I would have been right? You know what would have happened? The bullet is in my head, not my chest. I did the right thing ok? And it was for you ok?"

"He wouldn't have shot you. That was just because he was drunk." Cat said dismissively as the puppy whimpered.

I petted him softly and held him close. "Cat, he put the gun right between my eyes when he beat me up. Right there in fact." I pointed at the wall right next to her.

"Says who? You? This happened because he got drunk."

"Then why did he have a gun?" I asked. "What logical reason would he have a gun at a house party? There's absolutely no reason!"

"He probably thought you were going to hurt me and grabbed it from somewhere in the house." She tried explaining.

"Why would he know where to get a gun in that house?" I poked a hole in her theory.

"He's over there all the time. That's his friends house."

"How would he even know how to shoot it then? I don't know how to shoot? I have no reason to! He did! He goes two inches to the left and I die. Three inches up and one right and I die. Lower an inch and I can die. He knew how to shoot. He missed killing me Cat." I say, basically growling at the end.

"You're exaggerating."

"EXAGGERA—" I begin, and the puppy jumps up.

I get up and open the door. "C'mon boy, go downstairs to mommy."

He happily complies.

"Why'd you do that?" Cat asked.

"He was scared. And I am not exaggerating."

"Are too! He hit you on accident Robbie. It was a terrible accident."

"I'll show you accident." I say, grabbing my shirt and whipping it off.

"What are you—that doesn't hurt?" She cried out, seeing the still gigantic bruise and bandages I applied this morning in my daze.

"Give me your hand." I ask.

"Why?"

I ignore her and grab her right hand anyway.

"What are you doing?" She asked as I put it roughly on my bandages.

I ignore the stab of pain that goes thru me. "Yeah it hurts. Now look. Three inches up."

I put her hand over my face. "Bye bye head."

She opens her mouth but I move her hand down to my abs. "Bye bye internal organs. This is how most people die when they get shot."

She looks cross-eyed. Knowing her, it's because she's touching my fully developed abs.

Girls are so predictable.

Finally I move her hand over my heart. "You know why I would die from this."

She sputtered for a moment, then said. "But that's just dead on hits."

"I got hit dead on in the chest. In my pectoral. Right there." I poke hers. "It hit so hard, all of the ribs on my left side had compression fractures. Look, the whole thing is purple."

I turn and she gasped.

All purple.

"Ok, it doesn't matter. I got hit just once. And I won't be fully healed probably until summer. Just once. I could have died with just one. It doesn't matter where you got hit. It's that you got hit."

"Not in the leg." She immediately supplied.

"What about blood? Two of the 3 largest arteries in your body go thru your legs."

"Robbie, you're overreacting."

"I NEARLY DIED FOR YOUR CELLPHONE!" I yell at the top of my voice.

"Did not! The police made sure you wouldn't die."

"It wouldn't have mattered if it hit me in the face or heart! I'd be dead!"

"But it didn't!" She said insistently.

"Cat…you are missing the point. Your boyfriend is in the worst gang in town, and after he threatens to hurt me badly, shoots me when he thinks I took you home. Which basically I did. But he knew how to shoot that gun and tried to kill me to protect you. He probably should have! But—"

"Don't say he should have killed you." She asked quietly.

"What? He should have! He missed, badly. If he was aiming for my shoulder he would have missed. He aimed for my heart Cat. He wanted to kill me." I said menacingly.

She is refusing to see the light of day.

"He isn't in a gang."

"YEAH HE IS! He told me himself, in this very room! He has their tattoo on his arm! They are using Playboy money to defend him! He's a killer Cat!"

"If he was a killer he would have done something bad to me then! But he didn't! You're freaking out about an accident!"

"Cat, I know this. Any guy that gets to know you loves you. In some form or fashion, and some stronger than others. I'll be the first to admit he loved you. He probably wouldn't have cared so much about me if he didn't love you. So that's why. He loved you."

"Why past tense? He still loves me! He told me yesterday!" She raised her voice.

"You…you saw him?" I breathe out, feeling the oxygen vanish from my lungs.

"Yeah! He's my boyfriend and he loves me! And the reason you are so out of sorts about it is because you still think you love me!"

"I do still love you!" I snap back. "I never stopped! And I never lied!"

"Yeah! Every word of what you've said today has been a lie! You don't love me! YOU DON'T LOVE ME!" She howled, then took a step forward and slapped me.

My neck cricked and she did it again with the other hand.

Suddenly my door busted open and Mom grabbed Cat from behind.

Cat looked feral.

She looked ready to kill.

"Don't tell me he tried to kill you because that was a lie! You never loved me!" She spat, tugging on my mom's grip.

"C'mon, let's go." Mom yanked her around and started marching her downstairs. I just stood there as her words rang in my head. A few moments later a engine started and then rolled into the distance and silence.

Then came mom's footsteps.

"She left. Apparently somebody drove her here. They were waiting outside." She said quietly, stepping into my room, followed by the dog.

"…ok." I sit down on my bed.

"Are you ok?" She asked softly.

"I don't know mom." I whisper.

"Do you still want to eat? It's ready if you want."

"Sure." I say, and then follow her downstairs.

She very kindly dished me out a helping and the puppy licked my hand.

Funny how he seems to know something bad happened.

"Thanks boy." I say.

He doesn't respond.

Hmm.

Cat called him Cosmos.

"Thanks Cosmos." I smile, and he looked up and pants.

"Cosmos?" Mom asked.

"Ca—she called him that. I think it's stuck."

She shrugged and put my plate in front of me. "Not a terrible name."

"I don't think so either." I said, not committing one way or the other.

She got her plate and a glass of wine as I got my milk.

We started eating in silence.

"This is delicious, thanks mom." I say quietly, then took a bite.

"No problem…Do you mind telling me what happened?" She tentatively asked.

"Well…" I sighed, then taking a swig of milk. "First she thanked me for getting her out of that house all those times, I shrugged it off since it's the right thing to do for a friend. Then I think I brought up the shooting, she put it on him being drunk, I fought back, she said I wasn't hurt and it spiraled out of control."

Mom was quiet and took a bite.

"I'm sorry Robbie. I know she's important to you."

I sighed quietly and took another few bites.

"Mind if I feed him a bite?" I asked after a few minutes of just us eating.

"Sure, he's been a good boy."

I pick off a piece of chicken and extend it to him. At first he just sniffs it, then takes it gingerly out of my hands and chews, then swallows.

"I don't think he liked it." I said.

Mom glanced down and looked at him. "I think he did, he keeps licking his mouth."

Yep.

The moment I finish my last bite and set my fork down mom said I could go upstairs and go to sleep if I wanted. I agreed, and she briefly hugged me before letting me go.

On an impulse, halfway up the stairs I call out "Cosmos! Come here!"

He came happily plodding and followed me to my room.

"This is probably where you are going to sleep a lot Cosmos." I said before shaking my head.

"What a name."

I change into more comfy clothes and pull back my covers.

"Thunk."

I poke my headaround and look down to see Cosmos just staring at Cat's pink cellphone.

Damn.

I swing my feet off the bed, grab my jacket and keys and drive to Cat's, questioning why all the way to her front door.

Knock Knock.

The door opened to a very confused looking Cat. But then she frowned.

"What do you want?"

I pulled her phone out of my pocket and extended it to her. "Goodnight."

I turned on my heel and walked away.

"Robbie!"

Keep walking.

"Robbie! Please?"

Keep walking.

I hop in my car and pull out on to the highway.

Keep going.

I'm so scared I won't be able to finish this like it needs to be finished.

Completely and totally.

I don't like her anymore. I love Amber.

I love Amber now.

Cat didn't care about my heart and broke it into a thousand pieces.

Amber is more than willing to put the pieces back together.

When I get back home I find that Mom finished the dishes and Cosmos is still in my room, curled up on my bed right under my pillow.

He perked up when I walked back in, then hopped off and let me crawl into bed after I hit the light. Finally he curled up at my feet.

Cosmos.

What a name.

What a bad day.

(A/N: Ok, I'll explain Cosmos. I'm going a little different on this one, so bear with me. On iCarly, Miranda Cosgrove plays Carly. Jennette McCurdy, who plays Sam came up with Cosmos for Miranda's nickname. She's used it a few times in the little videos Dan does for his youtube channels, and I like it, so there it is. Cosmos's breed is Australian Shepard mix. Very cute dog. I am fully expecting a TON of Cat vitriol, so bring it on. I can handle it and answer all of your questions, so ask away. Thanks for reading.)